Library | Equal Legal Aid

2026

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Reports

Breaking the Continuum of Violence : Confronting Greece’s Failure to Protect Survivors of Gender-Based Violence Survivors of gender-based violence in Greece are routinely denied international protection. Decision-makers often dismiss or minimise their experiences; impose evidentiary burdens that no survivor could reasonably meet; and ignore the impacts of trauma and displacement. These practices leave survivors without protection and trapped in vicious circles of fear and insecurity.

2026

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Open letters and statements

As the Ministry reconsider the JMD on free initial legal counseling, we demand: Legal guidance must serve rights, not deterrence As the Ministry of Migration and Asylum revisits its Joint Ministerial Decision on “free initial legal counselling” for asylum seekers, ELA and other organisations warn that the new scheme structurally subordinates legal guidance to Greece’s “prison or return” doctrine.

2026

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Case Law

Contribution to Greek Asylum Case Law Report (Issue 1/2026) ELA contributed 9 decisions to the newly released Greek Asylum Case Law Report, covering the first half of 2026.

2026

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Case Law

Jurisprudence collection, VOLUME II, 2023 - 2025 A practitioner-orientated compilation of decisions issued between March 2023 and December 2025 in cases represented by lawyers collaborating with ELA before Greek administrative courts, the Appeals Committees, and the European Court of Human Rights.

2026

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Case Law

ELA Case Referred to the CJEU: Access to Effective Legal Remedies in the asylum procedure A case litigated by Equal Legal Aid has resulted in a preliminary reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), raising a fundamental question about access to effective legal remedies in the asylum procedure in Greece.

2026

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Open letters and statements

Call for the immediate halt of Vastria CCAC We are calling for the immediate halt of all plans to construct, open, or operate the Vastria Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) on Lesvos. The development of this facility constitutes a direct threat to fundamental human rights.

2026

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Open letters and statements

Provision of cash assistance to asylum seekers in Greece must resume immediately Asylum seekers in Greece have not received regular cash assistance payments since April 2024. The cash cards are used for the payment of the monthly allowances, to which asylum seekers are legally entitled.

2026

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Open letters and statements

No to EU law enabling home raids, policing of public services and racial profiling The EU is currently negotiating a Deportation (“Return”) Regulation to expand and normalise immigration raids and surveillance measures across our communities.

2026

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Open letters and statements

Joint Civil Society Statement on the Greek Migration Ministry bill Working for an organisation registered in the “NGO Registry” of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum becomes a punishable offence with the proposed changes to Articles 24 and 25 of the Migration Code.

2026

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Case Law

Contribution to Greek Asylum Case Law Report (Issue 2/2025) ELA contributed 19 decisions to the newly released Greek Asylum Case Law Report, covering the first half of 2025.

2025

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Articles

Greece’s asylum system fails survivors of gender-based violence: How to break the continuum of violence Survivors of gender-based violence in Greece are routinely denied international protection. As Greece tightens its migration policies, survivors will face prolonged detention and criminalisation instead of safety.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Inhumane Deportation Rules Should be Rejected The EU’s new “Return Regulation” is in reality a Deportation Regulation. It expands detention – including in offshore sites – fuels racial profiling & strips away rights.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Urging the Greek Government to withdraw the new draft law on returns. Joint Statement on the new Greek draft law on returns. As public consultation ended yesterday, July 31, the domestic draft law will be voted on in the Greek Parliament this August. We urge Greek MEPs to pressure the Greek government to withdraw the proposed draft law.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Addressing the Committee of Ministers’ last examination of the Greek asylum system under the M.S.S. and H.A. and Others v. Greece groups of cases Statement on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers' Review of Greece's Implementation of the ECtHR's M.S.S. and H.A. and Other Judgements

2025

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Case Law

Contribution to Greek Asylum Case Law Report (Issue 1/2025) ELA contributed 11 decisions to the newly released Greek Asylum Case Law Report, initiated by GCR, RSA, and HIAS Greece and covering the first half of 2025

2025

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Open letters and statements

The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn ELA joins 108 organisations in condemning the legislative provision to suspend access to asylum to people arriving from North Africa.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Make the Right to Family Reunification Effective for Palestinian Refugees in Greece Palestinian families trapped in Gaza face impossible barriers, even after Greece approves reunification requests. ELA joins 19 organisations and calls on the Greek government to uphold the right to family reunification for refugees.

2025

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Open letters and statements

EU ‘safe country’ and return proposals would seriously undermine protection and human dignity The EU’s recent ‘safe country’ proposals appear to be part of a broader strategy to externalise the EU’s migration management. With 50+ NGOs, ELA is calling on the EU and member states to reject any attempts to weaken protection for asylum seekers.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Demand EU leaders change course and end your war on migrants In October 2024, 70+ migrant-led organisations and 140 supporters wrote to EU institutions to demand alternatives to the EU’s deadly border regime. Following further announcements of rollbacks on asylum rights and of deportation plans, and in a context of an ever-accelerating global fascist shift, we reiterate our call for EU leaders to change course and end their war on migrants.

2025

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Open letters and statements

Calling on the Greek government to act decisively and exert the necessary institutional pressure to secure a ceasefire in Palestine. ELA joins the 117 humanitarian, medical, and human rights organisations in urging the Greek government to take immediate action to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We condemn the ongoing blockade, the collapse of the health system, and the targeting of civilians and aid workers, and call for a permanent ceasefire and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.